Why I Still Don’t Give Team-building Seminars

When teams don’t function properly, there are issues at play that run far deeper than a seminar can address. (An already functional team can benefit from team-building)

I’ve just finished reading “The Big Lie” [Buy the book below] which is about the dysfunctional behaviors at Hewlett-Packard. This book hits exactly what I’ve preached all along. Renegade elements have motivations. Those motivations cannot be changed by a seminar.

It takes a lot of work to unravel the problems brought about by mistrust.

So, if team-building per se is not effective in a dysfunctional organization, what can be done?

Procedures must change. Implementing procedures which are more transparent reduces the tension brought by mistrust. In other words, smart management will close the opportunities for back stabbing by bringing communication into the open.

Start by addressing the processes. By making the processes more transparent (copy all on internal correspondence, more open discussion meetings) the tension of mistrust is reduced.

No one can broker peace without the support of all parties. There’s the rub. When a team isn’t functioning well, and tensions distract from production, you will not have the support of all parties. You’ll have verbal but not real support. The old games always come back.